1. Technical Field
This invention relates to windshield wipers and, more particularly, to a self-operating windshield wiping apparatus and associated method for providing users with a convenient means to remove precipitation and clean a window.
2. Prior Art
Since the invention of the umbrella, perhaps only one other apparatus has become indispensable on a rainy day, the windshield wiping. The first automobile models sporting windshield wipers as standard equipment rolled out in 1915. The first wipers were hand operated, which made them difficult to use on rutted, muddy roads. Some of the hand craned wipers also featured windshield defrosters. These were double bladed; a wiping swept the outside of the windshield and a felt lined squeegee swept the inside. The blades moved in tandem. The next advancement in windshield wipers was the use of vacuum wiping motors. Early vacuum wiping motors got very sluggish when the engine had to draw power to accelerate or go uphill, so by the mid 1950's automakers had largely switched to electric motors.
Windshield wipers are essential safety devices but they are subject to malfunction, particularly on older cars. In April of this year, a federal lawsuit was filed which claims the windshield wipers on millions of older General Motors Corp. vehicles are defective and that the automaker should have recalled 7.5 million trucks, vans and spot utility vehicles instead of 1.7 million vehicles. The lawsuit claims a federal investigation found that wiping problems have caused at least 11 crashes and 225,000 warranty claims. The lawsuit has not yet been settled but it serves to illustrate how important it is to have functional windshield wipers. As all motorists know, however, windshield wiping problems do sometimes occur in newer cars that result in dirty windshields and impaired vision. Usually, the problem is the result of worn blades that the owner of the vehicle has neglected to replace.
Accordingly, a need remains for a apparatus in order to overcome the above-noted shortcomings. The present invention satisfies such a need by providing a self-operating windshield wiping apparatus that is convenient and easy to use, lightweight yet durable in design, and intended to provide users with an effective means of conveniently removing precipitation from their windshield.